Supplemental Request Header for Applications or Devices Using Web Browsers

1. A method of obtaining data for an application from a server, comprising: (a) receiving, from the application, a request for data offered by the sever; (b) transmitting, in response to the application request, a request for the data to the server, wherein the request includes header information identifying (i) a display area for a device on which said application is running and (ii) whether said application is running in a full screen mode or a partial screen mode; and (c) receiving data from the server responsive to the request, wherein the received data is formatted in accordance with the display area and screen mode identified in the header information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said request is formulated pursuant to a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said request further includes an HTTP User-agent header identifying a web browser to said server.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information identifies a version of said application.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information identifies a locale setting of said application.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information further includes information identifying a resolution of said display area.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information further includes information identifying a font used by said application.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transmitting is performed by a browser program module incorporated within said application.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information further identifies whether said device includes audio speakers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said header information further identifies an audio volume setting of said device.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising excluding an audio portion of a requested web page based on said volume setting.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said requested data is a web page, and wherein said received data is a version of said web page that omits one or more graphical buttons from said requested web page when said application is running in a partial screen mode.

13. A method of obtaining data for an application from a server using a browser program module for accessing information from the server by forming a request having a header, comprising the steps of: (a) said browser program module receiving, from the application, a request for data offered by the server; (b) transmitting, from the browser program module, a request for the data to the server, wherein the request includes header information identifying a current setting of a dynamic characteristic of the application requesting said data; and (c) receiving data from the server responsive to the request, wherein the received data is formatted in accordance with the header information, wherein said header information identifies a characteristic of an audio capability of said application.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said characteristic of an audio capability identifies a volume setting.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the received data is formatted to exclude an audio portion of said requested data based on said characteristic of an audio capability.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising transmitting said requested data from said server in response to said request, and omitting an audio portion of said requested data from said transmission when said volume setting is at a predetermined level.

17. A computing device communicatively connected to a network, comprising: a processing unit; and one or more memories, wherein said one or more memories store a program module containing computer-executable instructions for performing the following steps: receiving, via said network, a request for a web page from a web browser, wherein said request includes header information identifying a current audio setting of a device on which said browser is running; and transmitting said requested web page responsive to said request, wherein said transmission omits an audio portion of said requested web page based on said current setting.

18. The computing device of claim 17 , said one or more memories further comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the step of selecting a first version of said requested web page from a plurality of versions of said requested web page stored in said one or more memories for transmission responsive to said request, wherein said step of selecting is performed in accordance with said header information identifying a characteristic of said application.

19. The computing device of claim 18 , wherein said header information identifies a size or resolution of a graphical display area used by said application.

20. The computing device of claim 17 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of: retrieving said requested web page from said one or more memories; and modifying said requested web page in accordance with said header information identifying a characteristic of said application prior to said step of transmitting.